Review: Baby Wearing using Pikkolo Baby Carrier by Catbird Baby

26 February 2013 - Khye @ 5 mths+

I was looking for a baby carrier for Khye when he was about a month old. I know him being a big baby at birth, he wouldn't be too long before he gets too heavy to be carried. I searched online and came across Quirkybaby and the owner Rachel is very helpful in helping me to decide on which to buy as it would be my first purchase of a baby carrier.

As usual, before I buy anything, I would ask Mr. Google everything that I can. I learned all about baby wearing and the different types of baby carriers from Mr. Google. Lots of read-ups helped me make my decision on what are the considerations needed when buying a baby carrier. And what types of carriers has the ideal leg position to aid in the development of the baby spine, etc.

So I kinda knew roughly what I wanted. I wanted a soft structured carrier, not too bulky yet can carry baby up to a heavier limit, definitely not crotch carrier, etc. But with Rachel's help, decision was more informed and we decided on Pikkolo in Apriana by Catbird Baby.

So why Pikkolo by Catbird Baby?

Catbird Baby's basic mission is to create beautiful, functional, and modern products that make babywearing and parenting easier for you.
The name Catbird Baby comes from the expression "sitting in the catbird seat," which means to be in an advantageous position (from the short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, by James Thurber). The founder Beth thought it was the perfect description for a baby who gets to see the world while snuggled in close to Mom or Dad.

Pikkolo is their soft-structured carrier (SSC). The pikkolo carrier is a unique blend of mei tai and buckle carrier that features comfortable but slim memory foam straps, enables you to do an ergonomic front facing out carry (which I am not convinced yet!), can be used from birth without a separate insert, and still works great for carrying toddlers up to 19kg/40 lbs.! Features attached, stowable hood, optional chest strap for use with back carrying, and 100% brushed cotton (exclusive of trim).

I tried the Pikkolo with Khye when he was about 2months+ old. Khye was already 6.1kg at 2 months, so he was small but not teeny weeny then. I like that there is no extra newborn inserts that I need to use, which I find it fussy. I can carry an infant just fine with it and nothing else.

And because Khye was still small then and even up until now, there is still no need to wear the padded waist belt (recommended when baby reaches about 10kg or more). So the Pikkolo's unpadded and unstructured waist belt makes me feel trim and good as it allows for the precise adjustment of the carrier's fit. I wore the this waistband snugly around my waist (and not my hips). This unstructured "apron-style" wear fits both the narrower-waisted and also the broader-waisted body types well.

I also like that it has this unique cinch mechanism on the bottom of the Pikkolo carrier to make a narrower body base for smaller newborn babies to sit comfortably. This cinching ladderlock and webbing belt allows for the narrowing or widening of the fabric between baby's legs.
So I cinched it to make a narrower body base for Khye when he was an infant.

Below is a photo taken when Khye was 2 months+ when I used the cinching feature. Khye was fast asleep then and his whole body curved to mine so naturally.

23 November 2012 - Khye @ 2 mths+

This is another photo of me baby wearing Khye just 2 days later at Staits Quay. It is so much easier taking care of 2 kids when I'm baby wearing. I can still sling my trusty Emily Storksak diaper bag on my shoulders and still has 2 hands free.

25 November 2012- Khye @ 2 mths+

To places which are not stroller-friendly (in Penang, only shopping malls are stroller-friendly!), I baby wear Khye.

When we took our family from South Africa for the Heritage Walk in Georgetown, Khye was clung to me. We walked for more than 2 hours, and I like that this Pikkolo carrier is not too thick, thus making it more suitable for our hot and humid weather. There is bound to be a little sweat, but I am told that this is already much better than other thick US-made SSCs.

24 February 2013 - Khye @ 5 mths+

The shoulder straps of the Pikkolo are lightly padded with deluxe memory foam. These are very comfortable and shock-absorbent and I had no pain of it cutting through my body. They are also surprisingly sleek and trim, which is very good for my kinda petite frame.

Look at Khye tilting his head back and gazing in awe at the lighted lantern at the ceiling of Khoo Kongsi.

24 February 2013 - Khye @ 5 mths+

I initially find that the Pikkolo is on the shorter side, but after a while, I see that the good thing about shorter carriers is that it is great when baby has head control and it allows Khye to see out from the sides before other tall carriers, where they would be quite low down for a while.

Look at Khye peering from the sides when I wore Khye to the Chowrasta Wet Market.

25 February 2013 - Khye @ 5 mths+

Spent about 2 hours walking up and down our visit to Kek Lok Si, and with so much steps, stroller was not a good idea, so I just babywore Khye the whole time. Both of us were very comfy. I was not complaining, and Khye fell asleep at the end of the sightsee. :)

28 February 2013 - Khye @ 5 mths+

Oh ya, Khye being a happy baby being so near mummy all the time when he was sick and was hospitalized. And I was so thankful for having this Pikkolo Baby Carrier, for without it, it would be a nightmare to carry this fussy sick Khye!

3 March 2013 - Khye @ 5 1/2 mths

I like that Pikkolo has a stowable contoured sleeping hood in soft cotton, which is very light and breathable. It also has an elastic along sides for a better fit and more support to Khye's sleeping heads.
I don't use it often as Khye usually sleeps with his head tilted and leaned on my body like this.

4 March 2013 - Khye @ 5 1/2 mths

But I sometimes do when I carry him while I eat (although not with hot food!) to avoid food crumbs dropping on him.
I also use it when Khye is trying to sleep and there is too much disturbance going on and I don't want him to be over stimulated.

I like that this carrier allows Khye's body to contour so nicely with mine. I guess all carriers do that, and that is why I love baby wearing! It simply allows body contact, with no strain on my shoulders or back, and leaves me with my 2 hands free.

18 March 2013 - Khye @ 6 mths

The only bad thing is that it is not so convenient when you want to try on clothes at the mall/shop, especially when baby is sleeping and I usually do not like to wake him up!

7 May 2013 - Khye @ 8 mths

But then thinking again, putting baby in a stroller also has its own problems as most strollers don't fit into the changing room, thus you would also need to wake the baby up if the baby is asleep in order to get inside the changing room to try on clothes.
So best is to go shopping for clothes WITHOUT the baby! lol.

Pikkolo actually has  features of wearing baby in multiple carrying positions. It can do front facing-in, front facing-out, back, or hip. And you can also cross the straps in front or back, or adjust the carrier back-pack style. With so many different carrying positions, it's EASY to get a comfortable fit with the Pikkolo.

For me my preference is back-pack style with chest strap on my back and front carry baby facing-in, just like all the photos above. I tried cross straps and it is fine too, just that back-pack style is easier to handle alone and I like to be able to fix the baby carrier myself when I'm all alone with the baby.
As mentioned, I am NOT convinced of a safe and ergonomic position for baby front facing-out, as I had read many articles saying forward-facing is really bad for the baby. So to be safe, I just don't do it.

Overall, I love Pikkolo's simple design that grows with the baby.

I am yet to carry Khye with the padded waistbelt but I know it will soon be time when I need it as Khye is almost reaching 10kg and without it, it would strain my back.
Once I start using the padded waistbelt for some time, then I will update this review or write a Part 2.

So stay tuned....

To read about my other reviews on babycarriers, click on below :-
a) Soft-structured Carriers (SSCs)
- Pikkolo by Catbird Baby

- Boba 3G

- LÍLLÉbaby® Complete All Seasons (Part 1, Part 2)
- Ergobaby; Ergobaby Performance, and Ergobaby 360.

b) Wraps
- Ergobaby Wrap

- Pittari Wrap

c) Slings - SUPPORi Baby Sling
- SUKKIRI Ring Sling

***Please take note that this post is NOT sponsored. I purchased this Pikkolo Baby Carrier with my own money. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

Conversation with Shern @ 3 years 11 months

Shern is now almost 4 years old, and is getting really very conversational.
Some of the conversation I did share in my facebook.


Shern saw a plant turning yellow, so he asked me why is part of the leaves yellow in colour. I took the opportunity to tell him to drink more water, so I told him "The leaves are yellow because the plant did not drink enough water."
Shern: What did the plant said? (He always asked us what does objects said eg: 'What did the train said? What did the stars said?)
I got irritated so I told him to figure out himself what did the plant said and tell me.
Shern: The plant said I don't have mouth arr how to drink water!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I caught my almost 4-year-old praying last night.
Shern: Dear God. Please don't make me dream bad dreams ok. Just sweet dreams. Amen.
And he fell asleep 2 minutes later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So when pho-pho told Shern she had bad dreams too and asked him what shd she do. My very concerened 4-year-old asked "Pho-pho, did you dream of crocodiles and dinosaurs as well? Nevermind, just pray to God, ok?"
(So now I know what are the nightmares of a 4-year-old)

A Weekend of 2 Weddings

27 May 2013

Look at this cool dude. Can't believe he is my son. How much he has grown!

We attending wedding dinners 2 days in a row this weekend.

One is my best friend's Bee Shin's wedding. Took both my kiddos there. Both kids were dressed smartly. Shern was happy to see his friend Jaden there, so he had a happy time playing with him for the few hours.
But Khye was not doing so well. At 8 mths+, he started facing stranger anxiety and was a tearing up when people he doesn't recognize started talking to him. He was ok initially, but I guess there were just too many people there trying to 'cubit' his chubby cheeks!
And with the loud music, and his bed time, he was just cranky. I didn't really see him smile at all the whole night, which is so rare, because he is really a smiley happy baby. But he was not so that night. He was just a bulldog baby! lol.

26 May 2013

So the following night, we left Khye at home for mum, while I just brought Shern to hubby's friend's wedding. Shern insisted on wearing his shades and was posing for me at the car park.
I didn't ask him to pose for me. He was posing for me all by himself.

When we reached E&O, Shern was telling me, look at the beautiful sky. This is not the first time he told me that. He mentioned it once in a while when he caught the sunset from our home balcony.
This son of mine is really appreciative of nature. ;)

And not just that. I wore a dress for the dinner. I seldom wear dress now because it is impossible to breastfeed Khye. As I did not bring Khye to this E&O dinner, I wore a dress there. And Shern said "what a pretty dress. Please hold your dress and curtsy, while I bow". And then he bowed to me like a gentleman! Wow...! So sweet of him.

I took some photos of him with the lovely view.

Shern has reaches an age where it is easy to bring him out for wedding dinners. I bring along some blank papers for him to write and draw, and an activity book which he loves. He actually completed 6 pages of the book before he went to play with the girl sitting at our table.

I actually brought the ipad along too on both nights, but I didn't want to bring it out until the last resort. And I'm thankful the ipad stayed in my handbag on both nights!

But Khye was not so happy at home. My sis whatsapp-ed me and told me Khye has this 'bull dog face' the whole time at home with them. He had this pitiful face and turned his mouth upside down and ready to cry. This is not the case if I leave him during the day. But I guess Khye just wants mummy at night. Sigh. So we left the dinner after we finished the prawn dish. After we reached home and I nursed Khye, he was a happy baby once again! Haha.

Shern on the other hand was happy on both nights because he got to play with his friends.And on both nights, Shern KO-ed the minute his head touched his pillow.

Review: Gin & Jacqie's Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set

I'd first heard of GIN & JACQIE™ when I was searching for functional bags online.

Gin & Jacqie™ is created by avid traveller and reluctant girl-on-the-go Jacqueline Ng. Gin & Jacqie™ has a line of bags that provide long lasting utility, practicality and an unpretentious fashion at affordable prices. The core focus of the brand is well-made bags that are beautiful and appropriate be carried in any setting, be it the office, the mall or the resort, whatever your inclination.

I was happy when I was given a chance to review one of their Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set.

The moment I received the item, I was marveling at the gorgeous floral design. Its printed floral nylon looks really bright and cheery.

Changing Mat

Let's start with the changing mat. At first glance, I already love the easy-to-wipe clean nylon material. After use, just wipe it with a damp cloth and that's it. Clean as new. It is not easily stained although soiled.  

The changing mat size of 60cm x 50cm is very generous indeed. Love it as Khye is a big baby, so I am thankful that the mat is not too small that I had to think whether to place Khye's head or bottom on the mat!

And I also love that the changing mat is rollable with velcro strap fastener. This makes it easy to bring to roll it up and bring it anywhere. Most times, I just chuck it into the stroller basket for a quick trip, or in my handbag.



Lunch Pouch

I love, love, love this lunch pouch.
This size of 19cm x 14cm x 11cm is just perfect. Not too big, and not too small. Look at this, it is just slightly bigger than my palm.

The handle on top of the lunch pouch makes it convenient if I want to carry it about just like that. Even Shern can carry it all by himself given the perfect size.

Although just slightly bigger than my palm size, this lunch pouch is very roomy, with a base. It has a 3/4 zipper opening with 2 zips, which makes it so much easier to zip/unzip to retrieve things. Inside, there is an additional zipper compartment. There is also a small pocket/compartment on the other side.

When used as a lunch pouch, it can fit in so much. This is an example of a packed lunch we brought for an outing. In it I packed a packet drink, a packet of biscuits, a small tupperware of snacks, a packet of wipes, and also a bottle of water. All can be fitted into the main compartment. I put my keys inside the small pocket. And in the zippered compartment had my cards and some money, and also my mobile phone.

But quite often, I used it as a mini diaper bag for a quick outing.
In it, I packed 2 diapers, a change of clothes, a packet of wipes, a hanky, a nursing cover, and a tub of baby bottom balm all in the main compartment. And in the pocket as usual I had my keys, and my cards and some cash is in the zippered compartment.

This is how it looks sideways. When zipped up, it doesn't look bulky at all. I'm quite amazed by how much things it can fit.

Besides just carrying just like that by slinging my hand through the handle, I usually popped it into my handbag, together with the Changing Mat. It is small enough to fit into my Medium Longchamp Le Pliage handbag, which I then just sling it over my shoulder. By putting all my things into my handbag, I have less items to carry. And with 2 kiddos, I really need both my hands!

Or if I'm bringing the stroller along, I'll chuck both items in my stroller basket, and we're good to go for a mini outing.

I really like this Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set very much. And I forsee that I will be using them for a long time as the material is durable, and is low on maintenance, which is so suitable for busy mums like me!

Priced at only RM39.90, it is really affordable and truly a steal!


TO PURCHASE

You can purchase Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set online at Gin & Jacqie™.


DISCOUNT COUPON CODE

More good news! Thanks to Gin & Jacqie™ you get 20% off for Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set. Just key in the Coupon Code 'SY2013'  upon check out, and you are good to go.
This promotion is valid from 24th May 2013 to 24th June 2013.

*Coupon is not valid with other promotions and discount coupons. 

*Other T&Cs apply.

For more info, please visit Gin & Jacqie™ Facebook page.


* Disclosure: I received a Gin & Jacqie's Nathalie Lunch Pouch & Changing Mat Set for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

Picnic At Our Apartment Garden

1 May 2013 - Picnic @ Our Aparment Garden

It was quite a long time since our last picnic. So I promised Shern that we'll be having a picnic during our Labour Day holiday.

But then almost every evening at about 5.30pm, it would rain. But before that, the sun was too harsh and too hot to go for picnics. So we decided to abandon having a picnic at the beach. It would be too troublesome to lug all our things there and having to pack when it rains.

So we decided to just have a picnic down  at our apartment garden.
We have a lovely garden down there, and we have the pool. So when we get hot and stuffy, just jump straight into the pool. That would be great.

So we packed some food into our picnic basket and bring everything down. Spread open our straw mat and a blanket for a place to sit our butts. Lol.
Ate fried noodles, scrambled egg sanwiches and some grapes.

You can't see Shern & hubby here in these few photos because they had gone for a dip in the pool. Haha. Yes, they swam before they eat.

Dad was busy entertaining Khye. Khye had fun too although he didn't get to eat. He just sat around playing with his toys and getting entertained.

And he smiled his megawatt smiles too...showing us proudly his bottom two teeth!

Shern was having a blast in the pool with hubby. He had fun playing with his friends in the pool.

And after that he just got up and had his favourite egg sandwiches.

Everyone just chilled and relaxed and had fun. Great family time.
We will totally do it again soon.